The Poetry of Brendan Kennelly. An Exploration of Contemporary Irish Experience

Abstract

The claim of this paper is that the work of the Irish poet Brendan Kennelly offers a unique and creative exploration of some significant experiences of life in contemporary Ireland; these experiences include the effects of religious, educational and political influences on social and personal freedom and limitation, the paradoxical assumption of conservative and restrictive aims and methods by a newly established independent state, and the conflict between the private and complex experience of the individual and the publicly and historically accepted portrayal of Irish life. This aspect of Kennelly’s poetry is examined with reference to philosophical and psychoanalytic thought, and, in particular, the work of Freud and Nietzsche. Through a close reading of selected poems and prose extracts, the author asserts that Kennelly’s poetry enables an insightful analysis of concepts and experiences that are relevant and challenging to the individual in contemporary Ireland; however, the author also argues that such concepts and challenges are not exclusive to the Irish experience, but may be recognized and acknowledged across the contemporary Western world.